"Kompas" investigation from December 27 to January 3 highlights all the river’s horror. Citarum’s damage starts from its upstream.
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Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho
The brackish estuary of the Cikapundung River (branching right) is seen on Wednesday (3/1) flowing into the Citarum River in Baleendah, Bandung regency, West Java.
BANDUNG, KOMPAS – Citarum today is heavily damaged. Sprouting from a water spring in Situ Cisanti, Bandung regency, the 297-kilometer river has brought tears and sorrow all the way downstream to Muara Gembong, Bekasi regency, for almost 40 years.
A Kompas investigation from December 27, 2017 to January 3, 2018, highlights all the river’s horror. Citarum’s damage starts upstream. Plastic waste and water hyacinths fill Situ Cisanti. With minimal continuous monitoring, rehabilitation efforts are, at best, sporadic and not well-planned.
Near Situ Cisanti, the area around the upstream part of Citarum is home to thousands of dairy cows. In Pangalengan district, for instance, most dairy farmers throw their cow waste into Cisangkuy and Citarum Rivers.
With up to 8,000 cows, some 200 tons of cow waste is thrown into the river every day. This is despite Cisangkuy serving as a clean water source for Bandung. Citarum, meanwhile, supplies clean water for Jakartans and is a water source for Java-Bali electricity production.
Apit Zamzam, 47, a cow farmer in Padamukti hamlet, Pangalengan, said only 19 farmers with one or two cows each have consistently participated in a biogas reactor program. Some farmers refuse to participate in the program as they have no money. “This is despite some private companies having agreed to fund the reactors’ construction,” he said.
Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho
Ade, 55, fishes for plastic waste on Wednesday (3/1) in the Cikapundung River, which flows into the Citarum River at Cijagra, Bandung regency, West Java.
Meanwhile, water and waste management in Citarum is far from ideal, despite the river serving as a cradle of civilization for millions of people. “A people is called civilized if it has properly managed water and waste,” West Java governor Ahmad Heryawan said in a Regional Leaders’ Communication Forum meeting on Citarum issues in Bandung on Thursday (28/12/2017).
As a source of life, the longest and largest river in West Java is in poor condition. The massive damage caused to it is being neglected and continues to endanger around 20 million people living around it.
In a visit to Bandung in late 2017, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo complained about Citarum. He said Citarum was heavily damaged due to industrial and other wastes. This was not good for agricultural activities nor for the water source for West Javans and Jakartans.
Critical
The quality of the Citarum watershed area (DAS) is worsened by the opening of vegetable farms. Many vegetable centers in West Java do not pay attention to environmentally friendly vegetable planting patterns. This leads to complex problems. Some 76,778 hectares of land in Citarum DAS is critical and another 2,670 hectares is highly critical. “This situation leads to floods in the rainy season and droughts in the dry season. Land sedimentation causes floods and landslides,” West Java environmental agency head Anang Sudarna said.
Citarum gets gloomier as liquid and coal industrial wastes are poured into it. Currently, some 2,700 factories are located on the edge of the river. Of this amount, some 1,500 factories are located in and around Bandung and produce up to 2,800 tons of waste every day.
Triggered by the limited amount of toilets and difficulty to obtain clean water, waste is often thrown away into the river.
Only 47 percent of these factories has waste water management facilities. The remaining 53 percent recklessly pour their waste containing toxic heavy metals, including cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and arsenic, directly into the river.
Apart from businesspeople with poor environmental awareness, locals are also involved in polluting the river. Triggered by the limited amount of toilets and difficulty to obtain clean water, waste is often thrown away into the river. III/Siliwangi regional military commander Maj. Gen. Doni Monardo said a research study in late 2017 found that thousands of toilets were established on top of Citarum River. “Waste water is being used for bathing, washing and drinking,” Doni said.
Coordinator Deni Riswandani of Elemen Lingkungan, a civil society organization focusing on Citarum pollution, said the government’s efforts had yet to be effective. Violations are still common, which results in people’s suffering. Data from Majalaya and Cikaro public health centers said that at least 7,000 people are suffering from diarrhea, respiratory infections and rash.
“The people await a firm and proper solution. This problem affects not only those living by the river but also millions of others living far away from Citarum,” he said.
Toxic
Citarum’s water drives the electricity production for Java and Bali. The high level of pollution shortens the lifespans of turbines in the hydro power plant in Cirata, Jatiluhur and Saguling dams. Billions of rupiah must be disbursed every year to reduce the impact of pollution.
Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho
Ade, 55, fishes for plastic waste on Wednesday (3/1) in the Cikapundung River, which flows into the Citarum River at Cijagra, Bandung regency, West Java.
The presence of 72,000 floating fish cages in the three dams, far more than the ideal number of 6,000 floating cages, exacerbates the problem. The water supply for 420,000 hectares of rice fields in Indramayu, Subang, Karawang and Bekasi regencies is threatened. Concerns arise regarding the dangers of consuming fish and rice produced in areas supplied with water from Citarum.
Data from III/Siliwangi regional military command shows that fish in Citarum are exposed to heavy metals at levels far higher than normal, despite the fish being marketed and consumed in West Java and Jakarta every day.
“Visually, the paddies look normal. The rice also tastes normal. However, it contains chemical content toxic for your body,” said Rosadi, a local community leader in a village near Saguling Dam, West Bandung. Rosadi also serves as coordinator at the People’s Network to Maintain River Water Quality.
Nevertheless, people seem to pay little or no attention to any of this. Where the river meets the Java Sea in Muara Gembong, Bekasi, it is still in terrible condition. Sedimentation gets higher. Abrasion occurs in a number of spots. Dead fish are often found in Muara Gembong. A welfare gap persists between Muara Gembong and regions to the south, such as Cikarang or Tambun. Most people in Muara Gembong have difficulties to access healthcare and education.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) West Java executive director Dadan Ramdhan said the numerous ironies proved that Citarum was unmanageable. Even after 40 years of recovery efforts, Citarum still brings grief.
